Carnival vs. RCCl....and what to expect

[Randolph198]

Hey all..I'm new here and am planning on booking an October Bahamas (4-night) Cruise on the Soverign of the Seas....I was wondering if you guys could tell me if anyone has had an experience with this ship vs. the Carribbean/Bahamas Carnival ships.

Also, as I am a newbie, I'd like some advice on what to look for/plan for/hidden charges to expect :)

thanks!

[tngirl1979]

I have been on Majesty of the Seas and my parents/brother went on the SOS. They are sister ships. I know I absolutely loved the Majesty and so forth with my parents/brother on SOS. I hope you have a blast. I am going on Elation Sept 19th, my first with Carnival and I hope they do not disappoint me because I had an awesome experience with RCCL.

Thanks,

[jabang]

They are both very similar. RCCL ships' decor is a bit more subdued, cabins are a bit (or more) smaller, but other than that, just about the same experience.

[CoachTerry14]

The RCCL Soverign of the Seas does not have any balcony cabins. The Fantasy has balcony cabins in cat. 11 & cat. 12.

[momofmeg]

I have been on Sovereign twice. She is a decent ship and is being refurbished. After her refurbish she will have balcony cabins on deck 10. Fanasty does have balconies but they are suites and mini suites so they are much more expensive. If you want a balcony wait a couple of more months and do Miracle out of Tampa for a week. You can get a balcony for a 7 day cruise there for the price of a suite on Fanasty for a mini cruise.

We wanted to try a balcony last year but did not want to spend the prices on Inspiration (a fanasty class ship sister to Fanasty) for a mini suite. We ended up booking an oceanview on empress deck and then in April did a 3 day mini on Miracle extended balcony for a little less then what a minisuite would have cost us on Inspiration.

You should get some responses from some Florida folks-I have read many posts of those who have cruised both and enjoyed both. This is why I picked Sovereign. We were doing a 3 day and for a 3 day you get 2 stops-Nassau and Coco Cay-same for the 4 day you just get a sea day. Now on Fanasty for the 4 day you get Freeport and Nassau but only Nassau for the 3 day. So this is the way I felt-for a 4 day I would go Fanasty-for a 3 day I would go Sovereign.

[Rilaxmom19]

Tngrl- Glad to hear you had a good time on the Majesty of the Seas. After working on my brother for at least 5 years to take a cruise, he booked the Majesty of the Seas. He ( and the 2 other couples he was with) hated it so much, he will never cruise again. Complained everything was too crowded and the ship was old & worn.